THOMPSON Khalil

General
DEALING WITH DEPRESSION
In 2015 he began studying at Penn State University in the United States of America but left at the end of his first year after developing anxiety. He was close to quitting fencing but drew inspiration from US fencer Daryl Homer winning silver at the 2016 Olympic Games, and also received encouragement from his coach Peter Westbrook. "There was school stress and paying for school stress because I wasn't on a scholarship. There was a point where I developed crazy anxiety and it would keep me up at night. I met with a psychologist and they diagnosed me with severe depression and severe anxiety disorder. At one point I didn't leave my house for a month and I almost quit fencing. [But] that summer I saw Daryl [Homer] medal at the 2016 Olympic Games and that gave me more inspiration to keep fencing. So I was like, 'I can't run away from something that's happening in my life right now and I need to deal with it'. Peter [Westbrook] realised that I was still at home in September, so I told him what was happening and he was really helpful in getting me out of that state. He would call me during the day and tell me I needed to go to practice and I wouldn't want to go, but it made me feel better. I'd go to therapy before practice and it would be a tough session, so Wednesday nights would turn into me fencing and talking and it became another form of therapy." (usafencing.org, 18 May 2021)

SIBLING SUPPORT
His sister Kamali has also competed for the US national fencing team. "It's like having your best friend there who you can talk to about anything and I don't have to think about anything. We just show up and it's strictly supporting. Any time we got frustrated at tournaments we had each other to talk to. I learned a lot from Kamali because, when she didn't make the 2016 [Olympic Games] team, she had a lot of insights to talk to me about. The first year of being on the World Cup circuit is the hardest and, to be honest, you spend a lot of time losing. The jump from juniors to seniors is hard. But Kamali really helped me get my mind right for fencing seniors." (usafencing.org, 18 May 2021)